Washington, D.C. – Ohio Senator JD Vance, recently chosen by Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump as his running mate, has credited his wife and her Hindu faith for helping him navigate personal and professional challenges and come to terms with his own Catholic faith. This revelation came during an interview with Fox News, aired just weeks before his selection as Trump’s Vice Presidential candidate.
During the interview, Vance, 38, shared that he was raised as a Protestant but began contemplating converting to Catholicism around 2016. His wife, Usha Chilukuri Vance, played a significant role in his religious journey. “I was never baptized. I was raised Christian but never baptized. I was first baptized in 2018. Usha was actually raised non-Christian. But I remember when I started to re-engage with my own faith, Usha was very supportive,” Vance explained.
Usha, who grew up in a Hindu household, supported her husband’s spiritual exploration, drawing from her own upbringing. “My parents are Hindu and that’s one of the things that made them such good parents and really good people. And I have seen the power of that in my own life,” she said. She recognized that JD was searching for something and believed that his journey towards Catholicism felt right for him.
When asked about raising their children amidst two distinct faiths, Usha highlighted the importance of communication. “The answer is, we just talk a lot,” she stated. The couple, who met at Yale Law School and married in 2014, have three children together: sons Ewan, 6, and Vivek, 4, and a daughter, Mirabel, 2.
JD Vance’s rise to political prominence has been marked by a significant transformation. Initially a Trump critic, Vance has, over the past few years, become one of Trump’s staunchest allies, frequently defending the former president’s populist agenda in the Senate.
As Vance was announced as Trump’s running mate and vice-presidential candidate at the Republican National Convention, Usha Chilukuri Vance stood by his side, beaming with pride. This new chapter in their lives underscores their shared journey of faith and commitment to each other and their family.
